Display package



April 1968 R. J. HENNESSEY 3,380,575

DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed Aug. ll, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet J F/G. 5 BY ATTORNEY April 30, 1968 R. J. HENNESSEY DISPLAY PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1966 INVENTOR ATTORNEY P065544 d. f/irvlvfisss'y I a BY 'Ai' ABSTRACT UP THE DISELGSURE This invention relates to a display card used in combination with a paperboard tray enclosing an inverted plastic tray having flanged marginal edges. Liner flanges on at least two opposed walls of the paperboard tray engage the outwardly extending peripheral flange on the plastic tray to hold the trays assembled. The display card is accessible through a slot in one wall of the paperboard tray, the slot having its ends terminating short of the corners of the paperboard tray. The display card is provided with laterally extending projections which make one end of the display card substantially the full width of the paperboard tray. These projections are slidably engaged between the base of the paperboard tray and the peripheral flanges of the plastic tray.

This invention relates to an improvement in display package, and deals particularly in a combination transparent plastic and opaque paperboard carton.

In Patent 3,255,870, issued June 14, 1966 to John F. Peck, a simple display carton is disclosed including a paperboard tray having engaged therein a plastic tray, the plastic tray being inverted relative to the paperboard tray. In some cases the plastic tray is transparent to display the contents. In other cases the paperboard tray forms a cover for the plastic tray to provide a display.

One of the objections to the previous construction lies in the fact that when the inner plastic tray is transparent so that the enclosed product may be seen, there is a relatively small area of the paperboard visible for identification and advertising purposes. The lack of advertising space visible to one viewing the carton is sometimes disadvantageous. It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton which may be of the type illustrated in the above mentioned patent but which includes a display panel which is visible along with the product.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an attachment to a carton which may be of the type described which permits such a package to be supported upon a display rack or hook. The display of cartons of the type disclosed in the above mentioned patent was normally limited to placing the package in a flat or inclined position, as the cartons could not readily be perforated to accommodate a supporting hook or bar. With the present structure, the packages can be readily displayed suspended from a rack or similar support.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a structure of the type described in which an advertising or display card is slidably supported within the carton so that the carton is not increased in size during shipment. When the package is to be displayed on a rack or the like, the display card is pulled out into display position, and a display panel is provided which is almost as large as the original carton itself. The display panel is apertured to permit the package to be supported upon a rack or the like.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

Patented Apr. 30, 1968 In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the package with the display card in retracted position.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the package with the display card in projected position.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the package with the display panel extended, the position of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the paperboard portion of the package is formed.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the display card is formed.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional detail through a side of the package, the position of the section being indicated by the line 66 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of construction with the display panel retracted.

FIGURE 8 is a View similar to FIGURE 7 with the display panel in projected position.

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the upper portion of the package with the display panel in projected position.

FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the paperboard portion of the modified form of construction is formed.

FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic view of the modified form of display panel.

In general, the construction illustrated is similar to that illustrated in Patent 3,255,870 which has been identified above. This carton includes a paperboard tray which is indicated in general by the letter A, a plastic tray which is indicated in general by the letter B, and a display panel which is indicated in general by the letter C. While the package A may vary in style and form, and display panel has been particularly designed for this general style of package in which the marginal edges of the plastic tray are not sealed to the base portion of the paperboard tray.

As is indicated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the paperboard tray A includes a base panel 10 having side wall panels 11 and 12 hingedly connected thereto along parallel fold lines 13 and 14 respectively. Liner flanges 15 and 16 are hingedly connected to the side walls 11 and 12 respectively by fold lines 17 and 19. The base panel 10 is also provided with end wall panels 20 and 21 hingedly connected thereto by parallel fold lines 22 and 23 which are at right angles to the fold lines 13 and I4. Liner flanges 24 and 25 are hingedly connected to the Wall flanges 20 and 21 along parallel fold lines 26 and 27.

(Former flaps 29' are hingedly connected to opposite ends of the side wall panel 11 along extensions of the fold lines 22 and 23. Similar corner flaps 30 are hingedly connected to opposite ends of the side wall panel 12 along extensions of these same fold lines. The corner flaps 29 and 30 are designed to be enclosed between the end wall panels 20 and 21 and the end wall liner flanges 24 and 25 which are hinged thereto when the carton is formed. The ends of the end wall liner flanges 24 and 25 are notched as indicated at 32 and 31, and the side wall liner flanges 15 and 16 are also notched as indicated at .33 and 34 respectively. The notched ends of the liner flanges interengage to permit the liner flanges to be held at an acute angle to the wall flanges to which they are hinged. At the same time, the liner flanges are free to swing into face contact with the wall panels to which they are hinged.

The plastic tray B includes a base panel 35, side wall panels such as 36, and end wall flanges such as 57. All of the flanges 36 and 37 terminate in a common plane and are shaped to provide a peripheral outturned flange 39 extending entirely about the periphery of the tray. This flange 39 is designed to engage substantially in face contact with the base panel of the tray A. In the assembly of the structure, the contents are usually placed in the tray B while the tray B is supported with the open side thereof uppermost. The tray A is then telescoped over the tray B, the flange 3 9 folding the liner flanges 15, 16, 24 and 25 against the side and end wall panels to which they are hinged until the flange 39 passes the ends of the liner flanges. When the two trays are fully telescoped, the liner flanges of the paperboard tray A will swing inwardly over the peripheral flange 39 of the plastic tray due to the natural tendency of the paperboard to return to its normal position. The two parts are then securely locked together.

As will be noted, particularly from FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is but little display area on the side and end walls of the paperboard carton A which are visible when the plastic tray is visible to display the goods. Accordingly, a display panel C is provided which may be of the form illustrated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings. The display card C is substantially equal in size and shape to the base panel 10 of the paperboard tray. In the arrangement illustrated, the card C is transversely notched as indicated at 40, the notches 4% being aligned and spaced from the lower edge 41 a short distance to provide a pair of laterally extending abutments 42. A pair of parallel told lines 43 extend from the bases of the notches 4% parallel to the side edges of the card to the upper edge 44 of the card. The fold lines 43 divide the card C into a main center panel 45 and a pair of side panels 46 thereto.

As indicated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings a cut line 47 extends along the fold line 13 so that the fold line 13 actually comprises a pair of relatively short fold lines adjoining the fold lines 22 and 23. The cut line 47 is of a length slightly greater than the width of the main panel 45 of the card C. Shallow U-shaped cut lines 49 and 50 which terminate at the cut line 47 extend into the side wall 11 and base panel Id respectively. As a result, notches are provided through which the edge of the display card 44 is visible and may be grasped.

As indicated in FIGURES 1 and 6 of the drawings, the side flanges 46 of the display card C are normally folded through 180 to lie in face contact with the center portion 45 of this card. The height of the display card C substantially equals the height of the base panel 10. As a result, the upper edge 44 of the card C is visible through the opposed notches 49, 59 when the card is in retracted form as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. When the display card is to be used for display purposes, this edge 44 of the display card is grasped and pulled upwardly until the transversely extending abutments 42 engage against the fold line 13. At this point, the flanges 46 may be folded outwardly to the position indicated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings to provide a display. The card is provided with a central aperture 51 near its upper edge 44 which is designed to accommodate a hook or rod on a display rack or stand.

When in the position shown in FIGURE 2 the display card is held from retraction by the lower edges of the panels 46, and the card may not be retracted unless the flanges 46 are again folded into face contact with the main panel portion 45.

The modified form of construction illustrated in FIG- URES 7 through 11 of the drawings is very similar to the structure shown in FIGURES 1 through 6. The paperboard tray D is identical to the paperboard tray A except for the proportions of the tray illustrated. In other words, the paperboard tray A is narrower in width than in height, or is elongated vertically. The paperboard tray D is narrower in height than in width. However, as both of the trays A and D have identical components, the tray D illustrated in diagrammatic form in FIGURE 10 of the drawings has been given the same identifying numerals as the tray A as the same description applies.

The plastic tray E is also identical to the plastic tray all) t B having a front panel 35, side and end walls 36 and 37, and a peripheral flange 39 arranged on a single plane. As the description of the tray B fits the description of the tray E, identical numerals have been used to identify the various parts.

The main difference between the two structures lies in a difference in the display card F. The display card F is similar to the display card C with the exception of the fact that the side flanges 46 have been omitted. As a result, the display panel must, of necessity, be somewhat narrower than the carton structure to which it is attached. Narrowing the width of the display panel has the obvious disadvantage of providing less advertising space. At the same time, the structure is somewhat easier to assemble due to the fact that the necessity for folding the flanges 46 inwardly against the panel portion 45 is eliminated.

The display card F has an inverted T-shaped form, the lower edge portion 53 forming the cross bar of the T and including laterally extending extensions 54, the upper edges 55 of which provide abutments. The cross bar of the T-shaped structure is substantially equal in width to the width of the base panel 10 of the paperboard tray. The stem portion 56 of the T-shaped display card is of a Width slightly less than the length of the out line 47. Thus, the stem 56 of the display panel F may slide through the slot formed by the cut line 47 until the abutment edges 55' engage against the fold lines 13 connecting the base panel 10 to the panel 11 which forms the top panel of the package when the package is suspended. The display panel F is provided with an aperture 57 near its upper extremity so that the package may be suspended on a hook or rod.

As is indicated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings, the upper edge 5? of the display panel F is accessible through the notches formed by the cut lines 49 and St). The distance between the lower edge 53 and upper edge 59 of the display panel F is substantially equal to the distance between the fold lines 13 and 14- defining two opposed edges of the base panel 10. With this arrangement, the upper edge of the display panel F may be grasped and pulled to project the display panel from the position shown in FIGURE 7 to the position shown in FIG- URE 8.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in display package; while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A display package including:

a tray of sheet material cut and creased to provide a rectangular base panel, side and end wall panels hingedly connected thereto and means connecting the ends of said side and end walls in rectangular relation,

a transparent plastic tray having a base panel, connected side and end walls encircling said last named base panel, and a peripheral flange encircling said side and end walls on a common plane,

liner flanges hingedly connected to at least two opposed side wall panels and folded to engage said peripheral flange to hold said trays in opposed telescoping relation,

a slit extending along the line of fold connecting one of said wall panels to said base panel of said first mentioned tray, said slit terminating in spaced relation to the fold line with which it coincides,

a display card arranged in face contact with the base panel of said first mentioned tray and having a display panel slidable through said slot,

said display card having laterally extending projections slidably supported between said base panel of said first mentioned tray and said peripheral flanges of said plastic tray and engageable with said one wall panel at opposite ends of said slot in one slidable position of said card.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which the width of said display card and projections substantially equals the width of said base panel of said first named tray.

3. The structure of claim 2 and in which said display card is substantially equal in height to the height of said base panel of said first mentioned tray.

4. The structure of claim 1 and in which said display card includes an aperture adapted to receive a supporting member.

5. The structure of claim 1 and in which said one wall panel is notched adjoining said slit to provide access to said display card.

6. The structure of claim 1 and in which said base panel and said one wall panel are provided with opposed notches on opposite sides of said slit.

7. The structure of claim 1 including side flange means hinged to both parallel side edges of said display panel, and in which the combined width of said display panel and flange means substantially equals the width of said base panel of said first mentioned tray.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,108,278 2/1938 Webber 206-47 2,467,660 4/1949 Coughlin 206-418 3,011,689 12/1961 Korn et al 206-4533 3,255,870 6/1966 Peck 20645.34

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

